We Can Help You Get The Compensation You Deserve.
Serious injuries can be caused in a number of different circumstances, but no matter how they are caused, they are extremely painful and upsetting for the victims and their families. Our attorneys understand that dealing with a serious injury is challenging enough without also having to worry about where to get the money to cover your medical bills and other expenses. That is why we are here to help you and your family with your case.
What Is Classed as a “Serious Injury” ?
Under Pennsylvania law, only certain types of injuries are considered to be serious injuries. In broad terms, serious injuries under Pennsylvania law are injuries that cause permanent disfigurement, impairment of a bodily function, or a fatality. This definition encompasses a wide variety of different types of injuries, but if you are unsure if your injury is considered serious under the law, your Philadelphia serious injury attorney can help answer that question.
The definition of serious injury under Pennsylvania law will likely cover the following types of injuries:
- Cuts, scars, or severe burns that cause permanent disfigurement
- Loss of crucial limbs like hands, feet, legs, or arms
- Spinal injuries that cause disabilities or paralysis
- Brain injuries that cause impairment of bodily functions, disabilities, or paralysis
- Nerve damage that impairs movement or bodily function
- Injuries that result in amputation
- Permanent or major organ damage
- Any injury that results in death
Furthermore, these types of injuries can occur in all kinds of ways. Victims frequently suffer serious injuries like spinal and brain injuries as a result of major car accidents, but this is not the only way that people can suffer from serious injuries. Slip and fall accidents often cause spinal injuries and even nerve damage. Chemical fires may cause severe burns that lead to permanent disfigurement. Workplace accidents may result in loss of limbs or amputations. Even a severe dog bite can lead to lacerations that cause scars and disfigurement. No matter how you or your family member was seriously injured, our attorneys can help you with your case.
Compensation for Serious Injuries
An experienced attorney will be able to make sure that you and your family are compensated for your serious injuries, so that you do not have to bear the burden of worrying about where the money will come from for your medical treatment, property damage, and other daily expenses.
The first step if you have been seriously injured, no matter how the injury occurred, is to seek immediate medical care by calling 911 to dispatch emergency medical services. Immediate medical attention is your best chance to make sure that your injuries do not get any worse because of a delay in treatment. Then, you should contact our office so that we can send an attorney to your hospital room or home. This will allow us to begin working on your case right away.
If you were injured in a car accident, you may be concerned that you will not be able to receive the full amount of compensation that you deserve because you chose to purchase limited tort coverage instead of full tort coverage. However, if you have suffered a serious injury, even a limited tort policy will allow you to recover for all of the damages you sustained, including medical bills, property damage, lost wages, and even pain and suffering. Your attorney will represent you on your behalf when dealing with your insurance company to make sure that your serious injury is fully compensated, even if you have limited tort insurance.
If your accident was caused in a different circumstance, such as in a slip and fall accident or a workplace accident, your attorney will help you determine who is legally responsible for your claim and who should provide you with compensation for your injuries and other damages.
We will be able to assist you in gathering evidence about the accident, speaking to witnesses, collecting records, determining the amount of income lost due to your inability to work, and calculating the amount of other damages you are owed. We will also pursue other avenues of compensation if applicable, such as social security disability benefits or workers compensation benefits. This will allow you to focus on recovering from your serious injury instead of worrying about how you and your family can afford your hospital bills. Do not hesitate to contact our offices to schedule your free initial consultation, and know that our attorneys will work with you every step of the way through this difficult time.
Knee and Joint Injuries
Because of the key role that they play in keeping our bodies limber and agile, joints are often one of the most impacted body parts when a vehicle accident occurs. Knees and other joints often collide violently with unforgiving parts of your car, such as the dashboard, or they are turned and twisted in unnatural ways as a result of two vehicles slamming into each other. In other cases, wrists and elbows are locked in an instinctive attempt to reduce the impact of the crash on your body.
These joint injuries might not seem serious at all at first. You might be tempted to think that you can walk it off and that it will loosen up with time, only to discover that the joint pain is increasing with time, not decreasing. If you think that you have suffered knee or joint pain after a vehicle accident, contact a competent accident lawyer as soon as possible to begin to plan how to receive compensation for what might be long-term medical costs.
The very parts of your body that are most vulnerable to injury in a vehicle collision, your joints, are some of the most complex parts of your body as well. Thats great news when they work properly; its not-so-good news when they are injured, because it can be a quite painful and lengthy road to get them back to normal, or near-normal.It can take months and years to get your shoulder back to a full range of motion, for instance, in that tender area where muscle meets bone.
Torn ligaments and tendons can make walking, bending, lifting, turning and other seemingly simple movements into feats of endurance and pain tolerance.In addition, if you had a pre-existing condition before your accident, there is a great chance that your collision could have aggravated it. This is a particularly relevant instance where you need a good car accident lawyer to argue for you. A worsened pre-existing condition is still eligible for compensation, no matter what an insurance company tells you.Here are a few of the types of knee and joint injuries that you should keep an eye out for after a car accident, no matter how good you feel in the first hours after the collision, when your adrenaline can mask many of these injuries:
- Fractures of important bones, such as kneecaps, ankles, elbows or wrists
- Sprains of the neck and shoulders
- Dislocations of shoulders, hips and vertebrae
- Swelling due to internal bleeding around a distressed joint
- Tear of the anterior or posterior cruciate ligament in the knee, sometimes requiring surgery
- Nerve damage due to hip dislocation that can reduce feeling in the lower leg and feet
As you can imagine, the diagnosis and treatment of many of these injuries can be extremely expensive. MRIs and ultrasounds for shoulder injuries, for instance, run into five figures very quickly. Rehabilitation for knee injuries can take months, especially after expensive surgeries.In addition, if you think that you will be back to work in a few days after one of the injuries listed above, think again. You are going to need a settlement that provides compensation not only for your medical expenses, but also for lost wages.
Depending on how physical your work is, you could miss up to a year or more as you recover from your knee and joint injuries.An experienced car accident lawyer will know what your future holds and how deeply impacted your life, work and finances will be. S/he will then establish a realistic figure for which to aim as s/he builds a case.
This amount is often far, far higher than you anticipate. Lawyers with experience in knee and joint injury cases know that rehab sessions and continued exams and surgeries can bring the total time lost to many months, and hospital and doctor bills can balloon into hundreds of thousands of dollars in cost.In any case, do not accept the often inadequate compensation that an insurance company might offer you.
These for-profit monoliths have little incentive to make sure that all of your future medical bills and lost wages will be covered. They want to get in and out of your case for as cheaply as possible, and they are not taking a long-term perspective. That is why you need a skilled car accident attorney on your side.
With an expert lawyer on your team, you can focus on what is most important: regaining your health as fully as possible. You might not ever be the same, or surgery could make you better than ever. Whatever your prognosis, leave the financial details to our accident specialists so that you can zero in on your rehabilitation and ongoing treatment, because no price can be put on your health.
Permanent Serious Disfigurement
Currently, if you have Limited Tort auto insurance coverage in Pennsylvania, you are not given the option to file a claim for non economic damages such as pain and suffering if you are involved in a vehicle accident. However, there are certain exceptions to this ruling and that is if the victim has severe impairment of bodily functions or has been severely disfigured as a result of the accident.
Our law offices here in Pennsylvania know the exceptions and have argued tirelessly on behalf of our clients to get the justice they deserve.What is classified as permanent and serious disfigurement?Court cases conducted in Pennsylvania that handle serious permanent disfigurement concentrate on:
- How visible the scarring is after a healing period has taken place.
- If the scarring is likely to be permanent.
In the first instance, a length of time has to be allowed before an evaluation of the disfigurement takes place and it is decided that the scarring will remain there for the rest of the victims life. Put more simply if you receive scarring to your face due to the car accident, it may disappear after a period of time, so the situation is difficult to assess either at the time of the accident or even a short period afterwards.
If the scar had, for example, completely disappeared after 2 years, then it would no longer be permanent, so disfigurement would not be an issue.If scarring to the face can be seen after a 3 year period has elapsed and medical evidence reveals that it is categorized as severe disfigurement, then it will be treated as such when a claim for damages is filed.
There are a number of cases that have been through Pennsylvanian courts that have used similar time frames and the disfigured victims have been able to claim compensation for the condition.Legal Assistance After an Auto AccidentIf you think that you have sustained any injury that has resulted in permanently disfiguring you, it is important that you discuss your situation with an auto accident lawyer, such as one of ours here in Pennsylvania, who has handled many injuries that have led to permanent and serious disfigurement.
None of these situations for our clients is ever completely the same and accurate interpretation of rules is required before an evaluation can be made of each case.
Limited Tort Claims
We offer free consultations to determine your eligibility to file a compensation claim when insured for Limited Tort. We dont recommend Limited Tort as an insurance option, because by signing away your rights to claim compensation for pain and suffering means that your lawyer has to find a way around your predicament so that the negligent driver pays for the terrible injuries you will have to live with for the rest of your life. Hire a Philly accident lawyer and you will be certain of the best outcome for your case
Spinal Cord Injury
Spinal cord injuries often take place in auto accidents or in slips and falls and are some of the worst types of
injuries that could happen to anybody. They can result in partial or sometimes full paralysis below where the injury takes place, which sometimes leads to large sections of the body becoming immobilized for the rest of the persons life. It is an injury that none of us would wish for or like to see inflicted on anyone else.
The outcome of a serious spinal cord injury could mean that the unfortunate victim may require round the clock care for the remainder of their lives, or, with a less severe injury, have to endure ongoing health problems and mobility issues for which there are no current cures. When this happens, the injured victim might be eligible to lodge a claim for compensation after seeking help from a professional spinal cord injury lawyer.How does a spinal injury happen?They are usually the result of an accident which dislocates or fractures the vertebrae.
This takes place when bits of bone or other invading material rip into the tissue embedded in the spinal cord. This injury could take place in an auto accident, slipping over on a sidewalk, a heavy object tumbling down from above and the spinal cord crushed by machinery in a workplace.The spinal cord has a vital role to play in our body as it relays messages from the brain to the body situated below it. The result is that a totally severed spinal cord can cause paralysis past the point of the actual injury and renders our bodies useless for mobility purposes.
Trying to live with a spinal injury could mean the complete transforming of your previous lifestyle. You may require round the clock care for the rest of your life or you might still have some mobility but still need regular medical treatment. This, of course, is dependent on the severity of the spine injury.
Anybody who has serious spinal cord injuries might suffer immediate loss of earnings because they will not be able to work or run their business properly while the long term costs of equipment, medical needs and lifestyle changes could be astronomical. If somebody else is responsible for these injuries it is vital that you get help to make them financially responsible for paying out suitable compensation.Your right to make a claim when somebody else is at faultIt is crucial that if you are a victim of a spinal cord injury and it took place in an accident for which you were not to blame, you can gain compensation that is legally yours by lodging a spinal cord injury claim using the assistance and expertise of a dedicated, experienced spinal cord injury lawyer. A compensation payment is designed to alleviate financial worries brought on through loss of income and costly medical bills as well as for the mental suffering that may last the rest of your life.
Fractures and Broken Bones
Fractured or broken bones are common injuries that result from many different kinds of accidents. While these injuries can often be treated and healed if they receive immediate medical attention, they can still cause pain, typically require long term medical care and physical therapy, and may leave you unable to work until the bones are fully healed. These bills and lost wages can add up and cause a substantial financial burden for the accident victim. Do not let your fractured or broken bone injury create financial troubles for you and your family — contact a Philadelphia attorney who specializes in fractures and broken bones right away to help you with your case.What Causes Broken Bones?Unfortunately, fractures and broken bones happen very frequently.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons estimates that around 6 million people will break a bone each year in the United States. Some broken bones are caused by daily activity, such as playing sports or just a simple accident in your home. However, broken and fractured bones are also often caused by more serious accidents that someone else caused.For example, fractures and broken bones often occur as a result of car or other vehicle accident. If a driver or passenger is thrown inside the vehicle and hits the car door, ceiling, or windshield, it could cause a fracture or a broken bone at the point of impact. Broken bones and fractures can also occur if the driver or passenger braces themselves during a collision.
After a car accident, it may be fairly obvious if you have broken a bone, but fractured bones are sometimes less apparent. This is why you should get medical attention right away after an accident, even if you do not think you have been injured. A prompt X-ray will help determine where your fractures or broken bones are located and will help a doctor treat them as quickly as possible. Other types of accidents frequently cause broken bones and fractures as well.
One common type of accident that results in these kinds of injuries is slip and fall accidents, when a person loses their footing on a wet or slippery surface. Often, victims land in such a way that results in them breaking or fracturing bones in their arms, legs, neck, or spine. Falls from significant heights, such as from construction equipment or from a ladder at a work site, also frequently cause fractured or broken bones.Medical Treatment of Fractures and Broken BonesBroken bones are ultimately just very serious fractures of bones. There are four types of possible bone fractures.
A displaced fracture is when the bone breaks into two or more pieces and moves so that the broken ends do not line up properly. A non-displaced fracture is when a bone does not break all the way through, or maintains its proper alignment even if it does break all the way. An open fracture is when the broken part of the bone breaks through the skin.
Finally, a closed fracture is when the bone breaks but does not puncture through the skin.No matter how the bone breaks, it is crucial that an accident victim with a fractured or broken bone seek immediate medical attention. Fractured and broken bones will need to be set by a doctor, either in a cast or in a tight bandage, so that the bone will not move any more and can grow back and heal in the proper placement.
You must follow the doctors instructions about how long to stay in your cast or your bandages, because bones can take from six to ten weeks to heal in adults. In some cases, you may need to attend physical therapy after your bone heals to ensure that your leg, arm, or other body part can achieve its full range of motion after the fracture or break.
We know that, despite how important it is to seek medical attention for your fractures or broken bones, it can often cost a lot of money to cover your emergency room stay, medical treatments, and physical therapy. If you have been unable to return to work because of your fractures or broken bones, these bills can seem even more daunting. That is why we are here to help you with your case.
We will help determine who was legally responsible for your accident, whether it was a car accident, a slip and fall, or a workplace accident. Then, we will make sure that the person responsible gives you the compensation you deserve to cover your medical bills, lost wages, and other damages. Contact our office right away to get in touch with a personal injury lawyer experienced in dealing with cases involving fractures and broken bones.
Burn Injuries
Accident victims suffering from burn injuries know how serious these types of injuries can be. Burns can be the result of many different types of accidents, and although they can vary in their severity, burns are always painful and can sometimes cause other medical complications. If you were involved in an accident that caused your burn injuries, our Philadelphia burn injury attorneys can assist you with your case and help you receive compensation for your injuries.
What Kinds of Complications Result from Burn Injuries.
There are three different degrees of burn injuries. First degree burns only affect the outer layers of skin and can cause swelling, redness, and pain. Second degree burns affect the outer layers and the underlying layers of skin, and these types of burns also cause pain and swelling as well as blistering. Third degree burns, which are the most serious types of burns, affect all layers of skin, including the deepest layers. Third degree burns cause extreme pain or numbness and result in white or blackened burned skin.Even beyond the actual burn itself, burn injuries can result in many other complications. Burns often get infected, and these infections (called sepsis) can spread throughout your body through your bloodstream. Your body temperature may drop significantly as it tries to cool down your burn, causing hypothermia.
If you inhaled any smoke during the accident, it could affect your ability to breathe. Your body may even go into shock after your burn injuries and have trouble functioning normally. In the most serious cases, burns can even result in fatalities.Sometimes, burns themselves are painless, even the most serious types of burns. This is because nerve endings may be damaged by the burns. Consequently, it is absolutely crucial that you seek immediate medical attention for your burn injuries, even if you do not feel pain. A doctor can treat the burns as quickly as possible and hopefully can prevent them from getting even worse. Then, after you receive medical attention, be sure to call your experienced lawyer who has experience with burn injuries to begin preparing your case.
What Are the Causes of Burn Injuries
Burn injuries can occur in a number of ways. Sometimes serious vehicle accidents result in smoke and fires. Drivers and passengers involved in car accidents may consequently get serious burns trying to escape the vehicle, either from direct contact with the fire or from touching the hot metal frame of the car.Most people assume that burn injuries are caused only by fires. However, burns can be caused by contact with dangerous chemicals as well. If your skin comes into contact with certain chemicals, it can cause burns that blister, turn red, or cause numbness and swelling. Certain chemicals may cause other reactions as well, like nausea, headaches, vomiting, or convulsions, depending on the chemical and the type of exposure. It is possible for people to come into contact with dangerous chemicals at the workplace if you routinely handle certain kinds of chemicals.
Other workplace burns, especially for electricians or contractors, can result from electrical fires.Some burns are even caused from medical treatments, such as during radiation therapy like X-rays or chemotherapy for cancer treatments. If your doctor made an error with these treatments, it could result in burn injuries that may further complicate the illness you were originally being treated for.
Unfortunately, burn injuries are very common. In 2016, there were an estimated 486,000 burn injuries that resulted in medical treatment in the United States. Many of these burn injuries are caused in accidents, such as car accidents or workplace accidents. In these cases, the person who was responsible for the accident that caused your burn injuries should be held liable for your medical bills and other damages you suffered in the accident.
That is why it is very important to promptly contact a lawyer as soon as possible after you receive medical treatment for your burn injury. Your attorney will help determine who is legally responsible for your injuries and will help you seek compensation to cover your medical treatment, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages that occurred as a result of your burn injuries. If you have to file a claim with your insurance company or with the company of the person who caused the accident, your attorney will ensure that the insurance company does not try to offer you less than you deserve. Dont wait to contact one of our experienced burn injury attorneys today.